Telephone toll-register.



PATENTED MAR. 24, 1903.

G. A. LONG.

TELEPHONE TOLL REGISTER.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 21, 1901.

X0 MODEL.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE A. LONG, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE GRAY TELEPHONEPAY STATION COMPANY, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, A

CORPORATION OF CONNECTICUT.

TELEPHONE TOLL-REGISTER.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent N 0. 723,694, dated March24, 1903.

Application filed November 21, 1901. Serial No. 83,174. (No model.)

In ctZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE A. LONG, acitizen of the United States, and aresident of Hartford, in the county of Hartford and State ofConnecticut,have invented certain new and useful Improvements inTelephone Toll-Registers, of which the following is a full, clear, andexact descriptiomwhereby any one skilled in the art can make and use thesame.

My invention relates to the class of devices which are used inconnection with a telephone service for the purpose of enabling aso-called measured service to be provided. Under this system asubscriber is entitled to a cerr5 tain number of calls in a given timeand can secure telephonic connection with any other person on thelineonly by registering the call.

To prove to the operator at the central ofiice that the subscriber hasregistered the call, an alarm device is connected to the register insuch manner that as the latter is operated the signal also is sounded.This enables the op erator at the central office to control the measuredservicel i The object of my invention is to provide a telephonetoll-register in which defects in prior structures are overcome and asimple,

compact, and convenient device provided in i which the gong or signalcannot be sounded except after a call has been registered and also onein which a reverse rotary movement of the tumbler is prevented.

Referring to the drawings, Figure l is a plan view of the device withparts in normal 3 5 position of rest and with the casing removed. Fig. 2is an edge view of the back plate and of the mechanism and showing thecover cut in section. Fig. 3 is a detail view showing the tumbler turnedand the end of the hammet-lever in engagement with a stop to preventreverse rotary movement of the tumbler. Fig. 4 is a detail plan View ofthe tumbler after tripping the hammer and in engagement with themuffler-lever. Fig. 5 is a detail edge view looking from the bottom andshowing the tumbler and related parts in the position as in Fig. at.

In the accompanying drawings the preferred form of my device isembodied, the parts being supported by a base a and supplied with acover b, having an opening 0 for the insertion of a key, and a window(not shown) through which the numbers on the register can be plainlyseen.

On the base a is supported a register 6 of any convenient constructionand arranged to display numbers in the ordinary manner. A star-wheel fis mounted on the shaft which operates the dials of the counter and solocated as to be in the path of movement of a tumbler g, shown herein asa rotary member and having a finger g, adapted to engage the star-wheelin the movement of the tumbler in such manner as to advance the dial aunit-space. A gong h or like signal device of ordinary construction issecured to a post h on the base a, and a hammer-lever t is supported inoperative relation to the gong and also to the tumbler, a projection onwhich encounters the tail 2" of the hammer- 7o lever in the operatingmovement of the tumbler. The tumbler g is actuated by a key or othersuitable means and in the direction of movement (as indicated by thearrow in Fig.

1) essential to operate the register and the signal device, the trip 9encountering the end 7," of the hammer-lever and moving the hammer awayfrom the gong or bell and putting the spring Z under tension. As soon asthe trip 9 has passed the end of the lever the latter returns undertherecoilof the hammer-spring and sounds the signal. During this samemovement of the tumbler the finger g has engaged the star-wheel of theregister and turned the dial-shaft one unit-space. 8 5

The trip for actuating the ham mer has a notch I 9 which forms a look byengaging the end 2" i of the lever when an attempt is made to reversethe movement of the tumbler before l the alarm. has been sounded, andback of that go look isanother lock g mounted on the back of thetrip,'which is also engaged bythe end of the lever when a reversemovement of the latter is attempted aftersounding the signal. Theselocks prevent any reverse movement of the shaft of the register on whichcounterdials are mounted and avoid damage to the parts which otherwisemight result, and they also allow the use of a more delicate mechanismin the register and prevent it from being I00 injured by wrong orneedless strains thrown upon them. In fact the tumbler is provided witha combined trip and lock which first engages the'end ofthe hammer-leverand prevents backward rotation of the tumbler, then trips thehammer-lever, and subsequently prevents backward rotation of the parts.

The signal device (gong or hell) is required to warn the operator at thecentral office; but insome old forms of register and signal devices ithas been possible to sound the signal without operating the register,this by striking on the signal-box. In my improved device that isprevented by muffling the gong and keeping it muflied in its normalcondition of disuse. The muffler 7c is mounted on the base or on theframe and has a part held in contact'with the gong h,-"except when movedout of contact by the movement of the tumbler or a part operated by suchmovement. The preferred form of muffler, and that shown in the drawings,includes a lever is, pivoted to the base at with its end it in the pathof movement of a projection g on the tumbler and forced toward the gongby aspring. In this case the hammer-spring Zhas one end fast to thehammer-lever and the other fast to the muffler-lever, so that the onespring serves the double purpose of actuatingthe hammer and the muffler;but this feature of the spring is not essential to my invention. Theprojection g on the tumbler engages the muflier-lever so as to move themuflier out of contact with the gong before the recoil or strikingmovement of the hammer occurs and holds the muffler out of contact asufficient length of time to enable a clear signal to be sounded, whilepermitting its return in time to prevent continuous vibration, which isobjectionable for the reason that it interferes with the proper use ofthe line-wires for connections by drowning or confusing the vocalsounds. This return movement of the muffler into contact is caused bythe continued rotation of the tumbler.

It will be notedthat with the different members of the device in theirnormal position the hammer-lever is'interposed in the path of movementof the teeth on the star-wheel of the register. As the tumbler isrotated this lever is first moved out of the path of movement of theteeth on the star-wheel and the finger g on the tumbler engages theteeth on the star-Wheel and moves the register forward one unit-space.The hammer-lever then comes in contact with the notch g and preventsbackward movement of the tumbler. A continued rotation of the tumblercauses the muflier to be moved away from the gong, and at the same timethe hammer-lever is freed from engagement with the tumbler, when thehammer is actuated by the spring Z to sound the gong. In this positionthe hammer-lever engages the stop 5 and prevents backward movement ofthe tumbler in an advanced position. The continued rotation of thetumbler releases the mnffier-lever, which is brought the tumbler, and agong-muffler operatively connected with the tumbler and adapted tomuffle the gong during a predetermined rotation of the tumbler.

2. In a telephone toll-register, in combination with a base, a gongmounted on the base,

a register mounted on the base, a rotary tumbler for operating theregister, a hammer-lever and hammer operatively connected with therotary tumbler, and a muifier connected with said tumbler and held outof engagement with the gong during a predetermined rotation of thetumbler.

3. In a telephone toll-register, in combination with a base, a gongmounted on the base, .a register mounted on the base, a hammer, a

mufiler adapted to normally engage the gong, and a rotary tumblerarranged to operate the register and the hammer, and to retain themuffler from contact with the gong during a predetermined rotation ofthe tumbler.

4. In a telephone toll-register, in combination with a base, a gong anda register, a hammer adapted to sound the gong, a rotary tumblerarranged to operate the register, and a combined lock and trip havingasynchronous movement withthe tumbler and adapted to compelcompleteforward rotation of the tumbler upon engagement with the hammer-lever.

5. In a telephone toll-register, in combination with a base, a gong andaregister, means including a tumbler for sounding the gong and foroperating the register, and a hammer-lever operatively connected withthe tumbler.

and adapted by connection therewith to pre* vent backward movementthereof.

6. In a telephone toll-register, in combination with a base, a gong anda register, a tumbler arranged to operate the register and to operate ahammer-lever, and the hammer-lever operatively connected with thetumbler and adapted by connection therewith to prevent backward movementthereof from different positions.

7. In a telephone toll-register in combination with a base, a gong and aregister, a rotary tumbler provided with a combined trip and lockarranged to operate the register and a hammer-lever, said hammer-leveradapted to engage the combined lock and trip of the tumbler and compelcomplete forward registering movement thereof.

8. In a telephone toll-register, in combination with a base, a gong anda register, a muffier to engage the gong, a hammer adapted to 'sound thegong, and a rotary tumbler to alternately engage and operate the mufflerand the hammer to sound the gong for a predetermined period of rotationof the tumbler I to the movement of the hammer and muffler.

10. In a telephone toll-register, in combination with a base, a registerand a gong, a hammer to sound the gong and a muffler to engage the gong,only at predetermined intervals during the rotation of the operatingmechanism, an operating mechanism including a rotary tumbler having aregister-finger, a cam and a hammer-trip arranged to successivelyoperate the register, muffler and hammer during the complete movement ofthe operating mechanism.

11. In a telephone toll-register, in combination with a base, a gong anda register, a hammer to sound the gong, a muffler to engage the gong, atumbler having a cam to engage and operate the muffler, a trip to engageand operate the hammer, a stop for engagement with the hammer to preventbackward movement of the tumbler, and a finger to operate the register.

12. In a telephone toll-register, in combinationwith a base, a gong anda register, a starwheel operatively connected with the register, ahammer to sound the gong and adapted to normally engage the teeth of thestar-wheel to lock the latter against movement, a muffler to operate thegong, and a tumbler adapted to engage both the muffler and hammer tooperate said parts, and a finger to engage and operate the star-wheelduring the operation of the hammer.

13. In a telephone toll-register in combination with a base, a gong anda'register, a starwheel operatively connected with the register, ahammer to sound the gong having a hammer-lever arranged to fall betweenthe teeth of the star-wheel upon sounding the gong to lock said wheelafter a predetermined movement, a muffler to operate the gong, and atumbler adapted to engage the muffler and hammer to operate said partsand provided with a finger to engage and operate the star= wheel.

14. In a telephone toll-register, in combina tion with a base, a gongand a register, a ham-.

mer and hammer-lever for sounding the gong and locking the register, amuffler to deter= mine the period of vibration of the gong, a rotarytumbler provided with a finger for operating the register, means foractuating the mufiler, and means for tripping the hammer including aback-stop for preventing reverse rotation of the tumbler, said tripadapted to unlock the register-operating means during the movement ofthe hammer;

. GEORGE A. LONG Witnesses:

ARTHUR B. JENKINS, JOHN R. SLOANE.

